Horses are grazing animals that chew tens of thousands of times each day. This wears down their teeth. To compensate, a horse's teeth will grow continually throughout their lifetimes. All this growth and chewing can result in sharp abnormalities, which means that horses' teeth require periodic filing, called "floating," in addition to the other corrective actions commonly associated with dentistry. Because of this, the equestrian population supports a modest but vibrant industry of equine dental practitioners around the country.

Educational Investment

Getting a bachelor's degree and going on to veterinary school will make you much more competitive in a relatively small market and expand your career options. But it requires a time commitment of up to a decade, as well as tens of thousands of dollars -- potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars -- in tuition. As an alternative to veterinary school, you could complete a specialized training program at an equine dentistry school. The courses at these schools cost several thousand dollars and often require a time and travel commitment, but they are much less intensive than veterinary school. However, they also are not as comprehensive and may not be sufficient in some states to enable you to practice equine dentistry. You can mitigate this by developing a working relationship with an equine veterinarian and practicing equine dentistry yourself in a non-veterinary capacity.

Income Statistics

To get an idea of what newer equine dentists earn, it helps to look at a variety of sources, as there are no official statistics. According to the Midwest Equine Dental Academy, $50,000 is a typical yearly income figure for equine dentists who have only a few years of experience. The salary website Simply Hired reports that equine dentists as a whole earned an average of $69,000 as of 2013, which is comparable to what a veterinarian makes but about half of what a human dentist could expect to earn. And, according to an interview in Job Shadow, the veterinary doctor and equine dentist Geoff Tucker says that $36,500 -- or one horse a day, each day of the year, at $100 apiece -- is a very easily attainable figure. He adds that if you work for another dentist as an employee you will earn less due to legal liability.

Income Variability

Equine dentistry as a profession has a highly variable time commitment. Rather than putting in 40 hours at the office each week, your income will depend heavily both on the amount of work available and the amount of work you are willing to take on. Taking on corporate clients, such as horse farms, carnivals and ranches that offer horse rides, can help balance your work load.

Other Considerations

Most equine dentists are self-employed, meaning they seldom qualify for the job benefits that traditional employees enjoy. Sometimes an equine dentist can find traditional employment, such as at large horse farms or with metropolitan police departments that have mounted units. As an equine dentist, you will pay your own costs, including travel, insurance, medication and equipment. These costs are modest, but they do cut into your gross income and should be accounted for thoroughly when pondering a career in equine dentistry.

About the Author

Josh Fredman is a freelance pen-for-hire and Web developer living in Seattle. He attended the University of Washington, studying engineering, and worked in logistics, health care and newspapers before deciding to go to work for himself.